Christmas, it seems, is not big in Paris - at least not with a month to go. Coming from Britain where fairy lights have swung for weeks, I'm a little disoriented. It's day two of my trip when I first spot something festive: an overblown statue of Santa, outside a shop selling novelty carved umbrellas on boulevard St Germain. Any smugness at seeing the French producing Yuletide tack evaporated on closer inspection: the Santa was clutching a note reading "I have been good. Love, Me" - clearly an Anglo-Saxon export after all.

I don't need much encouragement to cry "Humbug", but the Parisians don't even seem to want to try to tempt shoppers by mentioning anything as vulgar as presents. In fairness, there are still sales on at several designer boutiques on the Left Bank (for example 30% off at Comme des Garcons), and I'm reliably informed that both men and women can pick up Agnes B clothes cheaper at stores here than in the UK . But France right now doesn't feel at all cheap: with the pound having fallen almost 15% against the euro in the past year or two (and the dollar faring even worse), you're not really going to pick up many bargains here.

Instead, I decided to look for something tasty and obviously foreign. While such gifts from certain countries I've visited tend to be viewed with suspicion back home and usually stowed to fester in cupboards, most people will generally eat and drink French produce (unless they're the type to pour it away in the name of Freedom Fries). In particular, relatives who don't live near poncey delis can welcome a jar of fatty duck or some smelly cheese.

My first foray took me to the realm of the extremely rich: the borders of the 8th and 16th arrondissements just off the Champs Elysées. Bypassing the many couture shops on and around Avenue Montaigne - from Gucci to Pucci and countless others - I made a beeline for rue Pierre Charron, and the Maison du Chocolat. This is a purveyor of eye wateringly expensive chocs: each (delicate) mouthful must cost a euro or so. For €100-250 you can buy a hatbox of champagne and chocolates. Drinking cocoa balls, at €11 for a pot that makes four cups, is more of a fun and affordable present; or try the jams, flavours ranging from boring old plum to mango or papaya.

Substantially less wallet-busting is Monoprix, an upmarket Woolworths, with branches everywhere. I tried the one on the corner of Rue de Rennes opposite Cartier diamonds, just by the famous Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore: if Sartre and de Beauvoir were alive today, they might well be buying their cornflakes here. Primarily a local supermarket, it also has plenty of displays offering attractively packaged gastronomic delights that could be cherry picked for a lovely Gallic hamper: cou farci de canard (duck) for €10.40 a tin; terrine de sanglier for just €2.40 a taster jar, a huge jar of cuisse d'oie (goose thigh) for €12.50, Maxim's de Paris biscuits or marrons glacéss in tins for €8-12. You could also get Michel Montignac Reine-Claude jam for €4: a posh-sounding and looking pot of greengage spread that might look as good under the tree as the Maison du Choc's posh stuff, at a fraction of the price.

Next, the classic staples: books and music. Fnac used to be a surefire winner here: obviously much of modern French music is best left well alone, but I was tempted by an Edith Piaf boxed CD set coming in at €21.66. Unfortunately, the sad truth is Fnac has changed. The store on Boulevard St Germain tempted me in but was entirely electronic and uninviting. I diverted to the Forum des Halles branch to find phones and screens dominating again, poor old books relegated to a basement with the ceiling in disrepair, the shopping equivalent of the funereal Catacombs de Paris.

A slogan on the outside said something to the effect that the look may change but it's the same old Fnac inside; about as convincing as seeing an old faithful mutt replaced by a digital cyber pet. One display retained the spirit of Paris of old: a series of editions by L'Esprit Frappeur, small paperbacks costing €3 with titles such as "De la prison à la révolte" and "Bavures: order public, désordre privé", examining such varied themes as LSD and police brutality. Anyway, to Brits used to three for two paperbacks at Waterstones, the general €22 for a paperback seemed like a hefty sum, especially when it's in French.

I wandered out of the cheerless shopping centre and off up Rue des Halles, where my spirits were lifted by the sight of Julien Aurouze's business at no 8, flourishing since 1872. No present suggestions here, but the window is worth a look. Under the sign Destruction des Animaux Nuisibles, this pest control and rat catching expert has lovingly arranged the stuffed corpses of rodents, some in their death throes, others on their hind feet in a macabre waltz. Astonishing.

Had Christmas deserted Paris? I walked aimlessly through the 2nd arrondissment, with no hint of festivity. And then, a glimpse, off rue St Marc into an arcade, the Passage des Panoramas, hung with - could it be - decorations? Admittedly, some looked as old as the building, all faded fake fir and stringy lights, but it was a start. It's atmospheric, though I can't in truth recommend coming here or to the ensuing Passage Jouffroy in the hope of gift purchases unless you have an aged relative who enjoys antique teddy bears, oriental knick-knacks or stamp-collecting. Perhaps you do.

But just beyond, I caught sight of a beacon in the distance - that old favourite, the Galeries Lafayette. Festooned with lights on the outside, resembling the Rose Window of Notre Dame, the inside of this cathedral of commerce boasts a bewildering number of Christmas trees - one on every counter, no, every corner of every counter. You almost expect the staff to be wearing tree hats. And in the middle, one huge tree rising up into the atrium. Everywhere tills a-ringing, gifts a-wrapping and frantic people a-shopping - the true spirit of Christmas at last!

· Gwyn Topham stayed at the Hotel La Trémoille, and Hotel Montalembert, members of Preferred Hotels. Winter rates at La Trémoille start from €299 per room per night. Winter rates at the Montalembert start from €290 per room per night. For more information or reservations contact Preferred Hotels on 00800 3237 5001 or visit www.preferredhotels.com

Eurostar operates up to 14 trains a day from London Waterloo and Ashford Kent to Paris with fares from £59 return. Tickets from www.eurostar.com, 08705 186 186, or in person at the Waterloo and Ashford International stations.